UPDATE: STUDIO BACKDROP STANDS, SEAMLESS PAPER, UMBRELLAS
Whether you’re a professional photographer or a serious hobbyist, the tendency to over-inventorise cannot be helped. My first vertical dry cabinet while still able to accommodate perhaps one or two more lenses had become quite troublesome when it comes to storing a body and telephoto lens without dismantling. So naturally when you’re feeling vertically-challenged the obvious next step is to go horizontal and I went with another dry cabinet by Wonderful. As you can see, my favourite combo (5D and EF70-200mm sits comfortably on the top shelf and there’s still plenty of room on either side.
© Jan Shim Photography
The cabinet measures W21″ x H18″ x D14″ and I have arranged it in such as way that it sits on top of existing cabinet and adjacent to where the Lowepro bags are stored. (and my good friend WOODY sitting on the PIXMA 6700D printer posing with an EOS 5D in his hands).
© Jan Shim Photography
In case you happen to be shopping for a horizontal dry cabinet (in Brunei Darussalam), they are available from STATION 8 (Ground Floor of Hua Ho Manggis Mall next to Guardian Pharmacy). I got mine a while back but understand that they’ve just received a new shipment along with what other goodies I haven’t been told. These items are popular and they run out very quickly so don’t take your time.
UPDATE: Readers of this article can enjoy 10-15% discount off their purchase of a WONDERFUL dry cabinet by simply mentioning this site to the owners (Ming and Hui) at STATION 8. Offer valid while stocks last. Protect your investment today!
Wonderful Dry Cabinet © Jan Shim Photography [more pic ...]
We tend to take things for granted and often forget what it takes to produce great images that you see here and on sites all over the web including those in your photo album. If you own a compact digital camera you may not think about a dry cabinet. If you own an D/SLR and some lenses (same for analog and digital) and they are critical to your livelihood, you’ll want to have them in a dry cabinet, preferably one that is electronically regulated like mine (pictured above). A dry cabinet is necessary to store items that can otherwise be damaged by rust or mould. When mould gets into camera bodies and lenses it can be very costly to service due to the complexity of modern electronics. It makes sense to look after them, don’t you think?
If that’s not compelling enough, here’s another. If you regularly bring your camera to the beach there’s a good chance salt has made its way inside (yes it is possible) and begin corroding the metal components. According to this article “the humidity must be kept at or below 35% to effectively protect precision parts and components against rust.” The relative humidity of my work place is 70%, a condition mould and rust finds favourable. We try to keep photographic equipment and optics to 40-50% to keep them safe.
The dry cabinet is not only critical to professional photographers, it’s also the perfect companion for collectors to store fine art and sensitive documents such as stamps, money and so forth and they come in a variety of sizes to suit your needs. [see footnote sales enquiries]
Earlier today, I responded to a thread “Show us your Dry-box” started by Jacky Yong – LENSAMALAYSIA.com to which I attached a different picture my unit.
Fuhhh!!! I can see that you have already filled your cabinet to the brim! I can see that lightsphere thing on the floor. What happens if you were to add more equipment?
But it is an interesting picture. This is exactly the response I was hoping to get when I started this thread in the first place. Thank you very much for sharing!
When I have more equipment to store and it’s more than likely a second body to replace the 1D MkII at this time, I’ll make room. It looks filled to the brim because I double the dry cabinet to store other bulky items as well such as the Quantum Turbo packs, Speedlite flashes that can be stored in a bag. I work with a minimal set of gear for my work and don’t possess a habit of indulging in new purchases unless absolutely necessary. The name of my dry cabinet is WONDERFUL and isn’t it so?
Also, in the picture above, you see one-third of my LowePro Rolling Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW. This item belonged to Roland Lim, an EOS 20D enthusiast from Hong Kong whose other profession seems to be travelling and shooting celebrity concerts.
Check out this photo I took at a super store in Japan (March 2007):
the choice of dry cabinets is just mind-boggling to say the least.
Note: Those in Brunei darussalam who wish to pick one up, STATION 8 is a stockist for these dry cabinets and other photographic equipment. Station 8 is also a KODAK Digital lab and is my recommended lab for all your printing needs and is located at Hua Ho Manggis Mall (Ground Floor, right next to Guardian).
Steven Goh 7:15 pm on June 26, 2007 Permalink |
Cool cabinet! Its great to hear that professional users like your kindself takes good care of their equipment.
Whats better, is that you share this knowledge out to the public. Most of the cameras that comes into maintenance or services at our place tend to have moulds collected in their lens while others just leave it in the bags without Dry Packs Silica Gel.
Keep up the good work. Really love reading your blog.
Jan Shim 9:49 am on June 27, 2007 Permalink |
Thanks Steven. It’s good to hear from you. I’ve updated the article to cater for a wider audience – those who bring their camera to the beach and have no idea whatsoever that salt from sea breeze can and will corrode the metal components inside.
I’ve never liked silica gel packs as they have a shelf life and maintenance. Also DO NOT use one of those THIRSTY HIPPO packs, they are sold as “Powerful Dehumidifier” and the long term exposure to them may have undesirable consequences such as drying out of rubber and plastic components, items that ironically require a certain levels of humidity to maintain its chemical bond.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the CANON BRUNEI Distributor, INTERHOUSE COMPANY, for their support and at times being a friend when I needed it more than just tech support.
Roland Lim 10:42 pm on June 27, 2007 Permalink |
Hi Jan,
I hope you have found the Lowepro useful!
It is of course always good advice to put your photgraphic gears in a humidity controlled cabinet, especially in a humid tropical place like Brunei.
Keep up the good work!
Jan Shim 4:49 pm on July 3, 2007 Permalink |
Roland,
Pretty soon new additions to the EOS family will outgrow the capacity of the CompuTrekker such as a second body and lenses. Sigh! The CompuTrekker is the perfect transport for my local commercial work when I need to bring my laptop. It would appear now that I also need silica gel packs for times I’m on the road for days and have no access to a dry cabinet.
M3CH4N1X 2:38 pm on July 4, 2007 Permalink |
I bought the dry cabinet few months ago at STATION 8 for $650. Its a 90L cabinet. Its freakin’ awesome.
ray nwam 9:58 am on December 22, 2007 Permalink |
This an exceptional site . Your article is a great resource to the online community. Please do check out my site when you have time.
discount digital camera.
LOOKING BACK. A TIME TO REFLECT. « A Moment Lived. A Journey Shared. 8:33 pm on December 31, 2007 Permalink |
[...] usability. Then the EOS 20D, EOS 1D Mark IIand EOS 5D followed. This post isn’t about the equipment I have but the journey and the opportunities they gave [...]
SPEEDLITE 580EX-II HOTSHOE FIX « A Journey Lived 6:30 am on February 29, 2008 Permalink |
[...] WONDERFULLY DRY [...]
Addict59 2:02 pm on May 6, 2008 Permalink |
Wah, fully equiped dry cabinet, mine still got a lot of spaces.
Addict59 10:16 pm on June 23, 2008 Permalink |
What is the proper RH ?
Jan Shim 6:48 am on June 24, 2008 Permalink |
We try to keep photographic equipment and optics to 40-50% to keep them safe. Some suggest that 30-40% relative humidity is generally recommended as the right level for protecting moisture-vulnerable equipment – without causing excessive drying out. But I would not recommend a setting below 40% as synthetic rubber / leather material will dry out and the lubricant in shutter and camera mechanism will be severely affected over prolonged storage.
It’s 6.45am. I’m off to the Software Asset Management Seminar Press Conference organised by Business Software Alliance. Received an invitation from Microsoft. Catch up later!
AlexM 5:51 pm on August 12, 2008 Permalink |
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!
Addict59 10:12 pm on September 26, 2008 Permalink |
Wah, got discount from S8 by just mentioning your web, but what if the owners not around? Still can get discount from them ah (Fransiska==> “don’t know the spelling”)?
Jan Shim 8:35 am on September 27, 2008 Permalink |
In the absence of the owners, “Fransiska” is the contact person to enquire the discount (don’t know the spelling either. Regardless of how it’s spelt, it still sounds the same).
This discount has been offered since the first time I published this post and while many have purchased dry cabinets from S8, it seems no one had taken any initiative to ask (too shy perhaps or were simply expecting automatic discounts or were the prices reasonable enough to not ask for one?)
I was there just two days ago and the S8 store is now looking quite the one-stop photography place to get your STUFF including Manfrotto tripods, ball heads and a ton of accessories enough to make your head spin! I get my studio backdrop stand and professional grade paper there too and I couldn’t help but noticed they now have budget studio umbrellas and multi-purpose reflections in stock too!
Addict59 11:27 pm on September 28, 2008 Permalink |
No horizontal Drycab available in S8 now, yes, it has become a one stop photography store including 3rd party accessories such as tripod ballhead, diffuser cap, macro-flashlight, bags and yes, the 5-in-1 reflector kit which is at a reasonable price. Studio Umbrella are also cheaper than other store.
Jan Shim 11:10 am on September 29, 2008 Permalink |
and not forgetting a good selection of black pocket albums, camera (and phone) LCD protector, and let’s not forget the real reason for being there in the first place, Kodak prints!
When I delivered my first set of prints to clients, the selection of albums were limited at best. I visited many photo labs at the time to check out their choice of 4R albums and 9/10 had those ghastly white pocket sleeves of various degree of quality. I was disgusted and couldn’t believe people were passing these sort of albums around. It was around that time I started making a lot of noise to the point I almost refused to print. Then S8 listened and sourced the great black pocket albums that you now see as standard. They were also able to custom order large 8×12 pocket albums where I could easily store my large prints without resorting to those (also mostly white) waxy magnetic pages from a decade back!
These 8×12 black pocket albums are also available in stock in case you didn’t know.
eyan 10:55 am on September 30, 2008 Permalink |
Jan, I’m interested to set up a mini studio at my home. Would you kindly show me (in your post and/or email me) your studio set up?
Like you mentioned in your post, Station 8 has the backdrop stand and professional grade paper. May I know the exact name of these items so that I could ask there?
Thank you in advance for sharing.
Jan Shim 8:14 am on October 3, 2008 Permalink |
Pleased to. When you enquire at S8, ask for studio backdrop stands, they come in a pair and are air cushioned. This means the extension does not come crashing down when you release the lock. I don’t have a close up picture of the stand itself but you might get an idea from the images below:
http://shimworld.com/images/janshimstudio.jpg
http://shimworld.com/images/janshimstudio2.jpg
I don’t know how high my ceiling is but the stand extends right up there easily (remember when you have it this high, the chance of it toppling is also higher so take care). The one I have comes with four hollow extension rods each measuring 3 feet to give you a combined total of 12 feet. I believe this is quite the standard for more budget and even professional stand offering. These rods connect by a simple ‘turn and lock’ system which are secure enough for studio work.
Also, commonly available studio seamless backdrop paper are 9 feet wide. To give you an idea of the colours available, I have uploaded a copy of the colour chart for your reference (actual stock may vary).
http://shimworld.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/studio-backdrop-paper.jpg
The crinkled cloth (muslin) backdrop you see above isn’t mine. I borrowed it (also 9 feet wide) from an associate in the beginning before I had any papers to work with. There are expensive and lasts forever but rather old school for my taste. I tend to go with solid colours such as white, black and gray that are most versatile.
I don’t do much of studio work at home and have taken the stands to shoot on location a few times. They’re easily dismantled just as easily re-assembled. When I do need the setup, my subject is lit with 32″ and 60″ umbrellas using my any of my EOS Speedlite (550/580/580II) additionally powered by Quantum Turbo battery pack
http://shimworld.com/images/shimworld-studio.jpg
The flashes are triggered remotely by the Canon ST-E2 transmitter the same way I manage my directional lighting setup when photographing CEO portraits …
http://www.shimworld.com/gallery/portraits/corporate/
These were shot much earlier back but the lighting technique hasn’t changed. It’s a very simple but effective setup which works for me. Given another opportunity to post-process these pictures I would most certainly deliver them differently. Perhaps a more recent portrait that people can relate to is the one of RanoAdidas when he visited me during Chinese New Year!
http://shimworld.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/ranz-in-da-house/
Hope this helps!
eyan 11:30 pm on October 8, 2008 Permalink |
thank you for the reply Jan Shim. I really appreciate it. Your explanation complete with the pictures are really helpful. I shall go to S8 to look for the stand. Thank you again.
surkrew 10:37 am on October 20, 2008 Permalink |
Jan, I’ve got a quick question on your lighting set up. I noticed in the potraits gallery, your subject has gradual lighting from bright to dark from one side to the other. If you don’t mind sharing, what flash power did you use on the potraits? 1/2 on main light and 1/4 on fill?
I recently took potrait during the hari raya using 2 lighting methods:
First was cross directional lighting on shoot through umbrella, both flash on 1/2 power. 1st light set up
The second set up was similar like your set up where my main light was set on reflective umbrella on 1/2 (slightly higher than the subject) and my fill light was on reflective umbrella on 1/4 (slightly lower than the subject). 2nd light set up.
If you could share your comment on this set up & pictures and how I can improve on my potrait photography, that would be brilliant! FYI: I’ve using Gadget Infinity wireless transmitter and receivers for the flash. Flash used was a 580 ex II and SB 600.
surkrew 10:42 am on October 20, 2008 Permalink |
Sorry, in the first set up, both flash was on 1/4 and on the second set up, main flash was on 1/8 and fill was on 1/16
Jan Shim 2:11 pm on October 20, 2008 Permalink |
Hi. You don’t waste time, do you? The examples you posted esp the first one looks like it can easily be achieved using a single on-camera flash with a Lightsphere diffuser. Meaning to say, the lighting is pretty much even all round if this is the result you had intended I’d say you’ve accomplished this.
The corporate CEO portraits, believe it or not, were shot with only one light for the directional lighting effect. And this one light is nothing more than a remotely-triggered Lightsphere PJ and a Speedlite 580EX on a light stand. Placement of the subject before their interview is key to ensure ambient light before I place my light. I have very little experience playing with light ratios since I shoot ETTL-II a benefit of shooting with the ST-E2. I work within the limits of my setup to get the results I need.
Jan Shim 10:27 am on February 12, 2009 Permalink |
I was looking at my blog stats and came across a link to this post by a photographer who DIYed a dry box to store her camera and lenses and in neat compartments too.
http://infairness.multiply.com/journal/item/24/DIY_Dry_Box?replies_read=4
Women are just inherently better at these things than men. Men, on the other hand, buy professional looking cabinets (a must have) and then chucks everything inside. Then the dry cabinet becomes a black hole much like a women’s bag—lots of stuff get in there and never come out